


The Ace, The Black Knight and The King

by AngelTribe



Category: AOA | Ace of Angels
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-15 10:48:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7219396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelTribe/pseuds/AngelTribe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a storm brewing and it has the potential for complete annihilation. David has hit rock bottom when his life is flipped by a message and task. He must find the 7 fallen angels before it is too late and unite them again to stop the darkness. One problem, he has no idea where to start and knows that they could be anywhere on earth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Long before the age of man and the wars and destruction that he committed, there was one everlasting fight. The eternal conflict between light and dark. For you see, the dark was jealous of the light and wanted to take the lights place up in its heavenly domain. God saw little issue with the darkness, for he knew that if there was no darkness there could be no light, if there was no bad there could be no good. And so, for many years God did not see the darkness as a threat. Instead, he placed his efforts into his greatest and proudest creation - The Earth. But while God was resting, on the seventh day of creation, the darkness struck. Under the cover of night, the demons and all other kinds of hellish creatures lay waste to the earth. God saw his greatest creation ruined before his very eyes and a fiery anger embedded itself inside of his heart. The dark got its wish, for centuries war was waged between the two sides. God formed his armies from the ranks of his most trusted angels, and headed up by his generals; Archangel Michael and Archangel Raphael. Sending them down with a flurry of anger, they fought back against the demon hordes.

Meanwhile, up in the heavens celebrations reigned supreme. Amongst all of the fighting, the people found time for joy. The seven had been born. Angels who were said to be capable of bringing peace to the light and to the dark. The people were happy and God rejoiced at the new born. Blessing them individually he named them and burdened them with special abilities and powers, unique to themselves. The people saw the goodness in the children and sang drunken songs of their futures; 'Choaya, Jiminel, Yunaria, Hyejeong.Linus, Minaring, Seolhyunari and Chanmi T.T'. They chanted their names in the town centres as they danced. Unbeknownst to the people, an eight babe had been born, but as she was not fully divine, God could not keep her in heaven. Therefore, with great sadness, he had to banish her to earth but before doing so he gave her one final gift and named her 'Y'.

The conflict below was coming to an end, the angels and heavenly armies had driven the darkness back to the edge of its hellish domain. But evil had one last trick up its sleeve. It sent out its wildcard, the Black Knight. Firstly kidnapping Archangel Gabriel, the Knight learnt all it could about how to best hurt God and damage the light. Under the guise of Angel Gabriel, it entered the realm of heaven and sought out the new born babes. Upon discovering them in the temple it prepared to eradicate them. God awoke and leapt at the Knight, shielding the seven. However, in the process of doing so, the Knight pieced Gods side with his poisoned sword. God roared and obliterated the Knight, sending him to a realm of exile. The poison began to take effect. Within moments God had gone crazy, the darkness blinded him sending him into an unstoppable rage. Unable to control himself, he found himself banishing the seven babes to earth. Realising what he had done, God sent for his Archangels and let out a deafening roar of absolute tribulation.

Michael and Raphael swiftly arrived having defeated the demon armies, sending them back to the depths of hell and closing the gates. Gabriel, on the other hand, arrived later having been assaulted by the Knight. He appeared bloodied and bruised and told God what the Black Knight had done - he had caused God to banish the girls to earth, making them mortal in the process. God searched high and low for them but the darkness prevented any divine being from locating them.

And so the Earth prospered and man grew. Society and technology thrived. Years of joy followed the defeat of the darkness. The girls aged, now that they were mortal. Never knowing of their past or of their burden, they developed under adopted parents separate from one another.

God felt an eternal sadness at the loss of the seven, but he persevered. Seeing the earth flourish was good and he found light in places it shouldn't be and hadn't been before. However, the poisons effects and his own bereavement left him unable to see the true evil present. For although, the armies of heaven had struck down the demons, they were rising again. This time stronger and tougher and with no one person able to stop them. One hope stood, the seven. Together they could form the ace and exile the evil for good. But on earth they were lost, unaware of who they were or of their abilities. As the evil grew, time began to run out and soon both the realms of heaven and of earth would fall...


	2. David

The bar that David occupied was dark and dingy. As night fell, the bar went black and naught could be seen except by the dimly lit counter lamps. David sat staring at the small pool of whisky at the bottom of his glass. He swirled it around and then chugged it back in one go. He turned to the bartender; 'Another, please' he croaked, holding back his tears.

'Sorry' the bartender replied 'we're shutting up shop for the night, how bouts I call you a taxi so you can make your way back home safely.'

David shook his head, 'I'll be fine' he said 'I don't live far from here.'

Dazed he stood up and excused himself. Stumbling through the bar, he reached for his coat on the coat rack and fumbled for his keys. At least those were still there. He could smell the alcohol on his own breath, it disgusted him but yet he found himself unable to change, drawn to drink since his life had taken a long trip downhill. David had been an alcoholic, ever since his wife's departure. The woman he had loved so much, leaving him for another. She had stolen everything from him in the divorce and he had been chucked out onto the streets, the courts siding in her favor.

David staggered out of the bar, slowly but surely heading in the direction of home. Within a few minutes of walking, however, he found himself vomiting into an alley garbage bin, crouched down and filled with regret. He found himself drifting out of consciousness, intoxicated to a point of no return. His almost lifeless body, dropped to the floor and he lay there.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light amongst the darkness. David did not stir. There was some loud commotion from afar. A cloaked figure sprinted past the alley but upon viewing David lying there it backtracked and made its way towards him. The figure hastily grabbed David and shook him, attempting to wake him. David remained still but his eyes began to open and he could see blurs all around him. The figure whispered very quietly 'I've run out time, you have to do it now.' Then it slipped a small red book into David's jacket and prepared to run. David tried to stop him, he wanted to know more, but all he could muster himself to say in his drunken state was 'Who you?'.

The figure turned back and for a fleeting moment David was able to see a broken expression on its face. It stared for a moment and finally spoke, saying 'My name is Gabriel and I have fallen, find the seven. You have to.' Then it ran faster than before. It reached the other end of the alley, looked left and right and then fell abruptly to the floor. Shadows surrounded it and knocked it down, up to the point where the figure wasn't getting up any more. David witness all this as a blurry flash. But soon, his body took over and he fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, David arose in an alley. He remembered nothing of the previous night, except for fragments of clouded memory. Getting to his feet, he took in his surroundings. The dark grey of the adjacent alley buildings pulled David back to reality. Filled once again with a sense of depression, he turned making his final strides back to his house. Arriving home, he immediately made his way to the kitchen and began pacing, his mind was racing. He placed one hand on the edge of the table and took in several deep breaths trying to comprehend everything that had happened to him. Following several minutes of panicked gasping, he made the decision to take a shower. David liked showers, they had calming effects. Making his way to wash David stripped dropping his coat and clothes onto the bathroom tiles. He stepped in the shower and blasted himself with warm water. Instantly, he became relieved and felt lighter mentally, as if some great weight had been lifted from his back. Out of the corner of his eye he saw it, nestled in his jacket, the small red book. All of a sudden it came back to him, the series of disjointed memories fixed together like a puzzle. He didn't know what any of it meant but at least now he knew what had happened. He finished washing quickly and wrapping his towel around his waste, he picked up the book and sat down on his sofa. 

Opening it, David was apprehensive, he knew not what the contents of the book were. A sealed letter in the cover fell to floor. David picked it up and placed it to one side. Then he looked through the rest of the book, it was filled with strange symbols and markings and diagrams. David was unable to make any sense of it and it was nothing like any language he had ever seen before. There were pictures of grotesque beasts and items that were not of this world. Much of the book appeared to be neatly written and prepared but some sections seemed rushed, as if they were written on the spot. David sighed, making the assumption the book was nothing more that a joke that he did not have the displeasure of understanding. He leant back on his sofa and cracked his neck. Today was going to be a long day. He would have to explain to his boss why he had not complete last nights work and find some way to convince him that he had not been out drinking again. He put one arm behind his back and stretched whilst the other reached out for the letter. His eye caught a glimpse of the time and he jumped to his feet, work would begin in only a few minutes. Grabbing his jacket he made for the door when he froze dead in his tracks. He was staring at the letter he had just put down which had one word scrawled on the front; 'David'. Feelings of confusion overcame him as he picked up the letter and ripped it open. Removing the parchment from within he began to read:

 

'David,

This letter and the contents of this book are of the upmost importance. The angels are falling and the darkness has risen again, this time with the stronger than ever. We may not be able to hold back against it for much longer. To explain this, as you humans might put it, the end is nigh. 

We don't have the time to explain why we have chosen you but to put it simply we need your help. There are seven angels on earth. We need you to find them and to unite them. Help them train and harness their powers so that they may defeat the evil. They will appear normal without wings as they have been infected with mortality. Let the book be your guide, the Angel Gabriel has drafted it up for you and we have sent him to tell you of your task. Hopefully he can give you a more comprehensive explanation of what is going on than we can. The book is not in any human language, nor is it code. It can only be read by the enlightened.

There is little help we can give you to find the seven, we do not know where they are or what they look like or even if they are alive and well. One person who may help you, however, is refereed to simply as the Teller, she appears to be a common physic. We believe she has some knowledge of the situation and may even be able to assist you in becoming enlightened.

We wish you all the best with your task and hope and pray that you can complete it. Heaven needs you David, never forget that.

Humbly,

The Council of the Archtemple.

P.S. For security reasons and as this letter is written in the words of mortals we cannot risk it getting into the hands of the enemy and so as a precaution it will burn to ashes once you have finished with it.' 

 

David laughed 'what a load of tosh'. Then the letter combusted in his hands.


	3. Hyejeong

Hyejeong was young and beautiful. She had always been told that she had tons of potential and that if she tried her hardest she could do anything that she wanted. This was one of the most frustrating things anyone could say. She had studied hard all of the time to get the necessary grades to get her dream job; being a Psychologist, but instead she found herself discontented with her situation. Life had not turned out as she had planned and cleaning the pool on a Saturday night felt insulting and it was as if someone was telling her exactly where she could stick her hard work. Not that she hated the pool, it was just being stuck inside earning pittances whilst everyone she knew was out partying. It was how the grades she had given up days and weeks of her life to achieve being worth next to nothing now. It was having huge amounts of debt and having to cut back on things she enjoyed and having found herself in a dead end job that would lead her no where in life. 

In all honesty, Hyejeong loved the pool. From a young age she had been a natural at swimming and would spend many an hour doing just that. She had an uncanny innate ability to hold her breath underwater, so much so that she would frightened the pool attendants whenever she went underwater for any extended period of time. Racking up trophies and medals, her youth was successful but tiring. When she entered high schools her coach told her she had the ability to swim at a national and perhaps even international level. This prospect had intimidated her somewhat and through her later years she deviated from these opportunities in order to focus on her studies. And now she was back where she started, at square one, at the local pool. Hyejeong had long considered returning to aquatics, more now than ever since she had finished studying and got her grades. But something was holding her back, an internal sense that she was destined for something greater that even swimming. Not this thoug, not a pool maintenance worker.

Outside of her job and her ambitions Hyejeong had little friends. She had been told that she appeared cold and hostile and that just being around her was a bitter experience. She didn't mind after all she considered herself to be a very independent person, carving her own path in life. A lack of friends however meant that she somewhat secluded herself, choosing to spend afternoons watching television. In her opinion, a lack of social contact helped with her dreams, it wasn't that she didn't have the necessary social skills instead it was that she could more easily perform her dream job of Psychology if she didn't form emotional connections with her patients. Upon meeting someone new Hyejeong would profile them first and could tell a huge amount about a person before they even opened their mouth. This could lead to some unwarranted prejudices and awkward conversations but more often than not her feelings about someone turned out to be correct.

Her frustrated, mind wandering was shattered but a loud noise from outside. Being alone in the building Hyejeong became uneasy and a sense of trepidation entered her mind. Gripping her skim net a little tighter now she made for the door. It was locked, she breathed a sigh of relief. The banging became louder and she stepped back peering out of the entrance windows to the pool. What she saw shocked her, a group of men wearing archaic masks and holding makeshift weaponry. Immediately her instincts kicked in and upon the assumption that they were burglars she dropped the skim net and dived into the pool, fully clothed, holding her breath. She maneuvered herself into the deep end of the pool and hid in the corner where she could not be seen. Above Hyejeong, the banging appeared to stop, then the room was swarmed by the men, like flies picking off a carcass they approached from all sides. Hyejeong could see them standing around the pool in a circle. The ringleader took off his mask revealing a less than human face or at the least that was what Hyejeong thought, her angle of viewing was such that she believed it might be a trick of the light. Then in looked towards the sky and made a loud screeching noise. It dropped its mask and all of the men disappeared from sight.

Hyejeong waited a while before re-emerging for the men looked nothing like your typical burglars. She was cautious getting out of the pool and looked around for any sign of the men. Initially she had the idea of call the police but reaching down she found that her phone was no longer in her pocket and with closer inspection found it buried deep at the bottom of the pool. A useless item now. Prominently lying at the end of the pool was the dropped mask. It had similarities to a plague mask but instead of eyes there were simply two black buttons. The section where one would reasonable expect to find an opening for a mouth had been sewn up and in its place there was simply a red cross. The nose was bashed and broken with jagged edges. The item both fascinated and freaked Hyejeong. She bend down and picked it up, almost dropping it as a worm burrowed its way out of one of the button eyes. She hastily shoved it into her pocket and made for the pools exit. It was well past midnight and she was keen to get back to her home, thoroughly shaken now. To her upmost surprise and shock, Hyejeong found that the pool entrance was,in fact, locked and a quick viewing of the security tapings showed her that at no point that night the doors had been unlocked. She grabbed these tapes out of the security monitors and sprinted as fast as she could. At no point slowing down to breathe or stopping until she had reached her front door.

Hyejeong flung her front door open and slammed it shut from the other side. She leaned against it for a moment and inhaled and exhaled slowly and calmly. Then she locked the door and ran to the windows, doing the same. She closed all the blinds and just sat in the dark for a moment, staring into an abyss of nothing. Hyejeong got up to switch the lights on, she flicked the switch on but nothing happened. 'Frick It' she thought, she had not paid the electricity bill. It was early in the morning now and Hyejeong felt far from safe at home. Opting, as a result, to pack a bag of all her essential items. She took both the mask and the security tape with her and snuck out of her back door. Keeping her head down and wearing a thick coat and glasses, she walked at a brisk pace heading for an old and isolated internet cafe on the edge of town. Somewhere that would play tapes, where she couldn't be easily found. 

The cafe was at the end of an alley. The front was a newly refurbished restaurant and to get to the cafe Hyejeong had to fight her way through queues of people outside. The looks she got were of great disgust but she did not care, there was something she needed to see. Passing through a busy kitchen, Hyejeong finally made her way to the cafe. There a larger gentleman with an egg-stained white vest was leaning back on a chair, fast asleep. A notice pinned above him said 'If sleeping, leave money on counter. $5 for 1 hour.' Hyejeong placed the money of the dirty and dust covered counter and then turned to face the single working computer in the room. She wiped off the screen and insert the tape in. In took an age for the computer to finally boot up and play the video and by the time it did Hyejeong had become impatient. Then the video began and all her emotions froze. If what she had initially seen of no one unlocking the door had frightened her, then what came next was downright terrifying. She saw the leading masked man remove his mask and step back from the pool. The man took a knife from his pocket and cut his cheek, writing on the wall 'Hyejeong.Linus'. Then he placed his finger over the name and drew a black cross. Shortly thereafter all the men disappeared into thin air, the words going with them. Hyejeong was scared beyond belief, 'Hyejeong' that was her name right. Although she had never had someone attach '.Linus' to it before. The only nickname she had ever received was 'dongdong' and that was in high school due to her being a loner and never talking in class.

She sat back in horror, unsure of what to do. It seemed as if someone or something wanted her or someone with a similar name to hers gone and that they were willing to do anything to ensure that that happened. Why she wasn't killed at the pool was unknown to her but for her to know that she could have been just moments from death sent shivers down her spine.


	4. David

Crumbling through David’s fingers were the ashes of the once intact letter. For a moment he was stunned, unable to fully comprehend what had just happened. But then, like it always does, the pain set in and his nervous system went into overdrive. He launched himself towards the sink, turning on the cool stream of water and placing his hands under it. The water lessened the pain, however this wasn't the only issue, just looking at his hands David could tell that he would have burn marks for the rest of his life. There was a bleep on the phone line, an incoming call. David barely took second notice, keeping his hands under the water all the time. Then there was a knock on the door. A loud voice emerged from behind it, a heavy Spanish accent saying 'David'. It was his landlady, Maria. 'David' she called again. Then for a third time she called out shouting 'David, David I know you there. You come out and talk this now or after but if not pay rent by Thursday I will have no choice but evict you. You three months overdue.' David swore under his breath but didn't dare remove his hands from the cascading water.

Five minutes passed and David finally worked up the courage to expose his hands to the air and turn off the tap. He felt a tingling, stinging sensation but nothing as serious as he feared. Reaching into his first aid cabinet he got out some bandages and wrapped up his hands. Then he walked over to his landline and checked the answering machine. '1 missed called' the machine read out in its monotone voice, '10.54am, Tuesday 23rd August, David this is the last straw, don't bother turning up to work today because you are fired. Period. Your lateness and lack of motivation and effort is inexcusable, no matter what is happening in your home life. I can't believe you wouldn't turn up today, especially after your final warning yesterday. I ... Never Mind, I'll stop shouting. Bottom line is, you don't work here anymore. Donny is being sent over with your stuff. Don't say you didn't see this coming.' David swore again, more openly and loudly this time, at anything and everything in his apartment. With one arm he flung all of the items off his table, glass shattering as it hit the wall and a pile of books making a loud thud as they struck the floor. Then he pulled up a chair to the table, making as much noise on the floor as he could as he dragged it. He slumped down in it and placed his head in both of his hands. 'F*ck' he said, 'F*ck'.

A few hours passed and David lay against the wall motionless, he sat in his underwear, a bottle of gin loosely held in one hand. He stared at a blank space on the opposite wall, a single solitary tear rolling down his cold, wet face. As of late, David had seen more horrifying things than he could hope to imagine and it appeared to him that the luck he had been riding off for months had run out. Someone knocked on the door. 'F*ck off, Maria' David muttered.

They knocked again, stopped and said 'David, it's Donny with your stuff'.

'Leave it on the doormat and go' David replied, half drunk.

'You sure?' Donny replied, 'Do you not want _'

'No' David interrupted, 'Leave and go'. Then he chucked the gin bottle at the door, aiming at head height. It smashed and he could hear Donny quickly drop the box of items and scamper off without another word.

David shook his hands in the air and cried out 'Curse the heavens, Curse you G_'. He stopped suddenly and hung his head low, slowly bringing his hands to his side. 'What was he doing?' he thought, 'he was better than this at least.' Dragging himself to his feet he made his way to the shower where he sobered up and got on some clean clothes. He went over to his door and retrieved the returned items. He placed them on the table. From the box he retrieved his laptop. Whilst it powered on he got a broom and swept up the shards of glass that scattered the floor since his earlier outburst of anger and frustration. Following this, David returned to sit and pulled up his chair closer to the laptop. Then he typed into his google search 'The Teller, Psychic, USA' and waited for a result. The first result was, 'Meryl Teller, Renowned Psychic, California.' He supposed he was headed to California then, not because he believed anything he had been told but maybe Meryl Teller could answer some of the burning questions he had. Plus, with no job or wife and being about to be evicted from his apartment he had nothing better to do.

The journey to California was short or at least it felt short. David lived in Washington state and so it was a drive down the coast to meet this Psychic. Along the way he felt something that he had not felt in a long time; anticipation. He was living on the edge now with no worries or pressures on his shoulders. It was something he had always wanted to do in his heart, just pack up and leave everything behind and head out on the open road and now he had the chance to do just that. Although not under the most ideal circumstances. In the back of his van was all the provisions he would need for a few months and space for seven or eight people; he knew this from a camping holiday with his friends six years ago. He had no idea how long he would be on this trip or where it would take him, all he did know is that he was excited for the first time in a long time.

Arriving in California was easy, finding Meryl Teller was not so easy. No-one seemed to know where she might be found and all had different guesses and suggestions to where she might currently be. After searching for a while David finally found her at the sixth address he tried. He approached this one more cautiously than the others, it happened to be an abandoned theme park. Although David was not in the slightest bit superstitious, he made the decision to wait until daylight to visit the park, that way it would be safer. When he did finally enter, the decaying attractions reminded him of his childhood, it was broken nostalgia. He was very glad that he decided to go during the day after nearly walking into a few rides and narrowly escaping a falling mirror that broke centimetres from his feet. Looking for a while he made a logical guess as to where he might find the illusive Meryl Teller, in the fortune tellers tent. He was not surprised to find her there. The tent was cone shaped and was made of a distinctive red fabric. Inside there was a mysterious aroma and a foldable table with a purple silk cloth covering it. At one end of the table sat a short woman. She wore a white veil and sat patiently as if she were waiting for something. David sat down in front of her and waited for her to say something. She did not. So he asked 'Are you Meryl Teller?'.

She simply nodded saying, 'That is what some call me by but others refer to me using a whole variety of words.'

David replied, 'I received a letter saying that you might be able to help me.'

'Help you with what, Darling?' she answered.

'This', David said, placing the red book in front of her.

'Ah, yes', she replied, 'You want to know how to become enlightened.'

David responded, 'That too, but also who are the seven and why is it so important that I find them and is any of this even real_'

She cut him off, 'Hush, little one'. Then she looked up, the veil covering her glum look from David. 'I am afraid that this is as real as it gets' she said   
softly, 'Everything you have been told is true. It might be hard to believe now but the more you see the more you will understand. I have been following the war all my life and have been searching for the girls myself but I will never be able to find them. Instead I have found myself fighting the evil and the darkness, longing for an end to my pain. As for the answers to your questions, the seven are angels taken from God at birth. They have the ability to bring peace and to destroy the darkness. However, a series of unfortunate and complicated events lead to their exile to earth.   
Here they are infected with mortality and are vulnerable. No divine creature can locate them, but this doesn't stop them trying. The girls are forever hunted, the darkness wishing to destroy them so that it may reign supreme. It is so important that you find them and help them discover their true abilities before it is too later, otherwise life as you know it cannot and will not exist. We would all become slaves to the dark and plunged into an eternal night of everlasting suffering. Help is something that I cannot give you on your quest but I can help you now. The seven you are looking for have divine names, referred to as Choaya, Jiminel, Yunaria, Hyejeong.Linus, Minaring, Seolhyunari and Chanmi T.T. A warning though, they do not know of these names and will not use them. Finally, where to find them. That I do not know either. As the darkness preys on them though, you may find them where large numbers of unexplained and horrifying events have occurred and where the soldiers of the night are in a great abundance. Recently there has been once such occurrence here in California, a sighting at a local pool.'

David was frustrated, every time he got answers to his questions the answers just created more questions. Although this seemed to be a noble cause and as of yet he had no reason to distrust this woman. The Teller suddenly rose to her feet and turned to leave.

David shouted after her, 'Wait'. She turned back around. 'What about enlightenment?' he asked.

She responded without turning back towards him, 'Only you will know when you are truly enlightened.' Then she whistled loudly and vanished, a white veil slowly drifting to the ground. David returned to his van. He retrieved a map of California, he had one for each of the states, and proceeded to circle all of the pools in red. Crossing off each one as he went along, he scoured the internet looking for articles and news stories relating to unexplained events. Finally, he was left with just one, a mysterious burglary at a pool in south Los Angeles where nothing had been taken. That was where he was headed next.


	5. Seolhyun

Seolhyun supposedly had it all. The fame and the fortune to do and buy anything she could ever want. And yet she was unhappy and she didn't understand why. She no longer found any amusement or interest in her lavish house and overly expensive possessions. The ultimate goal had always been money; money was supposed to be the key to her eternally happiness and now she had more of it than she knew what to do with. It had caused an empty feeling to carve out her heart, removing the once burning passion for her trade and leaving nothing but regret and remorse for past actions. Her rise to stardom had not been without her hiccups, but her determination was so that she could not be stopped. Any and all who stood in her way were flung to one side by her ruthless and unforgiving nature. Seolhyun had been brought up on the principle of 'dog eat dog' and so had little time and sympathy for the failures and inabilities of others. She believed herself to be fiercely independent. Being at the top of the mountain of show business now Seolhyun could not help but imagine where she might have ended up in life had she not been successful in acting. Perhaps poorer but happier. From a young age she had been overexposed to the media, firstly being recruited as a child model and a child actor before eventually getting her big break on the silver screen and making a rapid rise to the media summit. Below her there were the remnants of a fiery path of destruction which had been left in her wake and looking back down it Seolhyun knew something was lacking in her life and that she was meant for something more.

Seolhyun lived in a large house in Maryland, or at least she usually did. Currently she resided in her penthouse apartment in central London, one of many around the world. She lay on her grand queen sized bed, resting her legs after a long day of filming. Seolhyun was starring in a new action thriller set during a terrorist invasion of London and had spent much of the day running around underground stations and famous London landmarks shooting scenes over and over again. Neither the concept nor the role excited her but she took the job anyway for the large payout. Now she wondered if she was wrong to do the film for such selfish reasons but justified her own choices by telling herself that had she not taken the role, that some other self-loathing actress would have just taken her place. Despite this she was frustrated with her actions, everything she had previously done felt pointless. She removed the hair tie from the back of her head, her smooth brown hair furling down, and chucked it to the side. The hair tie bounced harmlessly off of the huge glass windows, overlooking the working masses below. From it she could see people going about their daily lives, emerging from Charring Cross tube station. People below walked with purpose and determination aiming for the best in their lives and she stood up here looking at them wishing that she was still where they were. On the journey to the top, rather than at the destination itself.

The phone rang from by the door, it was her agent. Speaking cheerfully and rather quickly he spoke saying, 'Alright, Seol, have I got the job for you. Picture it, France, Spain, Italy, a few weeks filming. It'll practically be a holiday. You play a journalist seeking answers in an unsolved murder mystery. Got your attention that didn't it. So Seol, what do you say, deal or no deal?'

Seolhyun said, 'Frank stop calling me Seol, we are not friends. I don't want to do it. I_'

Frank interrupted, 'What do you mean "I don't want to do it."?', badly imitating Seolhyun in the process. He continued replying, 'You must be crazy to turn down money like that and that job, they won't just give it to anyone_'

This time Seolhyun cut him off, 'No Frank, I don't want either the job or the money. Don't try and change my mind.'

Frank calmed down slightly, 'No problemo okay, I've got four or five jobs on the line, just tell a me whicha one you lika besta. Comprende.'

Seolhyun said simply, 'Cut the crap Frank. I don't want any of those jobs. Put me down as being inactive for a while. Tell everyone that I am taking a break - no I don't know how long.

No sooner than had she finished Frank lit up again, 'What do you mean...' he spluttered. But Seolhyun just placed her hand over the receiver for a moment a whistled. When a few seconds had passed, she put herself back on the phone and a defeated Frank replied, 'Fine, I'll do just that.' before hanging up.

Seolhyun put the phone back and sighed deeply. She wandered over to her huge mirror and inspected herself. She was still wearing the suit from that days filming. She undid her top button and placed her suit jacked on the back of her chair, folded over itself. She took off her waistcoat and patted her pockets, her phone was still in the jacket. Retrieving her phone from the back of the chair, she walked over to the bathroom sink and washed her faced. She checked her phone for notifications, then placed it on the sink top. The doorbell rang. 'Who is it?', Seolhyun called out.

A high pitched teenage voice permeated the door, 'Pizza for you, missy.'

'I didn't order any pizza, check downstairs', Seolhyun responded in an irritated tone.

The voice replied, 'Can't do that miss, the delivery definitely says penthouse apartment.'

'Alright', Seolhyun said with annoyance, 'Give me a minute'. She grabbed her credit card from within her suit jacket, though she was pretty sure that at no point she had ordered a pizza. Maybe Frank was playing nice again and apologizing for shouting at her by ordering her a pizza. She made for the door and unlocked it. Then she peered through the peep hole but could see no one. Confused she opened the door and looked down the hallway at the lift. Suddenly, she felt suffocated and her mind began to shut down on itself. She fell to the ground with a thud. Above her she heard a gruff voice say, 'Sorry, missy.' She saw the next minute or so in slow flashes as she slowly fell unconscious. Images of the lift doors shutting and finally the boot of a car closing in front of her eyes were the last things that Seolhyun remembered before her world went black.


	6. David

David's index finger shook violently on the trigger. He gulped unsteady and unsure of his next actions. Again he repeated the words, 'step away from the lady, sir, I am armed and not afraid to shoot' but his voice was wavering and it was clear he was struggling to speak. 'Last chance, sir' he whispered before his heart sunk. The man took a step forward and David fired.

David was opposed to guns and opposed to the second amendment. He believed that guns and violence were not necessary to solve anything. Despite this he was always armed, carrying a hidden Colt M1911 for his own personal protection. Usually he hated the weight of the weapon, both physically and mentally. It pressed against his body like a rock and just like Sisyphus he felt as if it would be his downfall. However as of late, he had grown closer to the item, with all that had happened to him he could not help but feel safer when he had it on him. His new found affection would not, though, change his staunch beliefs on weaponry. Besides the Colt M1911, David owned one other gun, a Remington Model 870 Pump-Action Shotgun. This was kept hidden in his van and was used mainly to ward off wild animals when camping in the wild. Neither had been fired at a another human before. Now, David felt as though he had betrayed himself. Through a cloud of dust, David saw the man still walking towards him. He fired twice more before running out of the diner.

Outside, the cold air chilled David. He looked down at his bloody hands, they shook rapidly. He was dazed and confused and the noise had made his heart spin. He fell to one knee for a moment but helped himself back up. He placed one hand on his thigh and vomited all over the floor and his shoes. From within the diner he heard a voice shouting, 'David'. 'Sh*t, Sh*t.' he swore loudly, the lady he had arranged to meet was still in the diner with the man. But David was no hero, he could so easily leave and save himself, what difference would it make. He scampered off away from the road, the cars zooming past with a deafening sound. Before, he gone more than 10 meters he stopped. Standing about 5 meters from him was a veiled woman. He looked at her solemn expression and exclaimed, 'No, I can't. I am not a hero'.

The woman gazed back into his eyes and said, 'You were never supposed to be the hero.' Then she pointed at the diner and screeched, after which she disappeared. David kicked the floor a few times and placed his head in both hands, then he knelt down and said a quick prayer, 'God, please help me in what I am about to do'. Then he turned back to the burning diner and sprited towards it.

David had been the one to shoot but he had not started the fire. Hyejeong had noticed that from the moment the sh*t hit the fan. Instead, the petrified waitress had run to the back to phone the police, making no attempts at safety. Her apron had caught one of the flaming jets and in her ignorance she had chucked it onto a rather flammable table. She also knocked over the spare gas canisters, splitting one open, hence a large explosion. Holding the phone the petrified woman dialed 911, but was swiftly killed by the man. The attacked placed one hand over her throat and crushed it, holding her several centimeters above the ground. On the phone, a voice came through, '911 here, what is your emergency?' but it received no answer. Amongst the commotion many of the customers had escaped, running out of the diners front doors and onto the highway. They screamed for help from passers by.

Hyejeong was backed into a wall, the man approaching her. He pointed one finger at her and in a hellish voice, gnarled out the word 'You'. Hyejeong was frozen, she tried to talk to it, 'What do you want?' but it ignored her. Then from its back it retrieved a battle axe, it was red and black and was burning. It pointed the axe at Hyejeong and leaped. She dove to one side, the axe planting itself into the wall but catching her leg in the process. Blood spurted out and upwards and the man yanked the axe out of the wall, laughing in the process. The man raised the axe again and Hyejeong closed her eyes. From behind her she heard several shots, David yelled 'I said step away from the lady motherf**ker'. The man reeled back and roared at David. It dropped its axe and flung David at the wall. The man cracked his neck and made towards David, licking his lips as he did so. Hyejeong, got up and grabbed the axe. She supported herself on its weight and limped to the man, dragging her left leg. Using all she had left she raised the axe and buried it in the mans head. Then she fell the floor.

The man fell to his knees for a moment but quickly got backed up. He grabbed Hyejeong by her head, raising her to his height. She looked hopelessly into his eyes. The man shrieked and spun. David was pulling on the axe lodged in the man. He relinquished his hold on Hyejeong and she flopped down, grabbing onto the mans shoulder and placing one hand on his heart. The man froze, going blue and white from the heart outwards. It stopped moving completely. Hyejeong fell off it onto the floor. It was stuck in the motion of turning towards David. David removed his hands from the battle axe and ran to Hyejeong. 'Are you okay?' he shouted but he got no response. Then David noticed the blood loss from her leg. He acted fast, wrapping some cloth around it. He had medical supplies in his van and so he hoisted Hyejeong up onto his shoulders and dashed as quickly as he could there. He laid Hyejeong out on the table and stabilized her wound with bandages and a quick stitching, he was glad to not have been late to the first aid day at his old job. He sat in the seats surrounding the table, exhausted. Out of breath he took a moment to gather himself. Tying Hyejeong down with some rope, he got in the vans front seat and looked out to the horizon. He checked the map for the closest medical facilities and circled it. He turned the engine on and as he began to drive off he saw a veiled woman in the distance, still solemn but this time nodding her head.

Behind him Hyejeong stirred. She had lost a lot of blood but she was still alive. She had arranged to meet David after he had contacted her. She had been told that he was sniffing around the pool area and looking into the mystery and she had hoped he could help her. Hyejeong could never have imagined what just happened though. Her mind lingered on a single thought, David had called her 'Hyejeong.Linus' when first meeting her and she was just about to ask him why when the diner doors were broken open by a brute. She knew nothing about David or why he went to the lengths that he did to save her. Consequently she did not entirely trust him, having only briefly met him. But she felt safer now, that she did when she was on her own running from the unknown. It appeared that he was helping her. She could not comprehend what she had done to the man, nay the monster, the demon, in the diner but did not currently care. Smiling slightly, Hyejeong flicked her eyes back into the distance at the funeral pyre that was the diner seeing soothing red and blue flashing lights and a droning siren that sent her to sleep.


	7. Choa

The sun set in a large French town near the Swiss border. The light vanished and the landscape was reborn in the darkness. The brightly colored birds and animals retreated to their homes to wait for the safety of the next morn. In the mountains, howls could be heard. A hungry wolf pack patrolled, on the hunt for a meal. Further in the town the streets were barren. The cobblestones undisturbed as they slumbered through the night. The French flag in the town centre flew slightly in the gentle breeze, flapping side to side in the wind. A man leant against his balcony, the doors wide open and the curtains pinned down. He smoked a cigar slowly, blowing into the night sky. He pondered all of the mysteries of the universe as he stood there puffing. Behind him his wife awoke, the light streaks from the moon crossing her face. 'Honey, its late, are you coming to bed' she asked him, half-asleep.

'In a moment, darling' he replied in a hushed voice, 'just there is one thing...'

'Anything, honey?' she responded.

'That woman in the hospital. The one who always works, who is working even now. Who is she?' he asked.

'Park Choa', she mumbled, 'Now will you please come back to bed.'

'Aye', he said, taking one last look at the single lit up window from the hospital down the street, 'I don't know how she does it.' Then he shut his windows, locking them. But he left the curtains pinned open and the last thing he saw, even as he drifted off the sleep was the light permeating from down the road.

Choa sat at a desk, weary eyed. Sustaining herself on shots of coffee, she filed patient forms over and over. Every time, she felt herself dozing off she would kick the wall and remind herself of how she had failed today. Stuck above her desk were the pictures of all the men and women that she had been unable to save. Each staring at her with sorrow in their eyes. Choa knew that she wasn't perfect and that she couldn't save them all but whenever she revisited the situations in her mind she saw their deaths as her fault. She also saw the alternative as scarier, that they were destined to die. Thoughts like that gave Choa the shivers. Looking back up at her computer screen Choa realized the last few sentences barely made any sense and that she had just been writing the same thing over and over. She deleted them and slowly closed her eyelids, placing her head next to the keyboard on the desk. All of a sudden she jolted upright, someone was walking down the corridor. In the completely silent atmosphere of the town, even the softest noise was enough to wake her. Only two people were in the hospital with her at this ungodly hour. The security guard and the janitor. She hedged her bets that it was the janitor as the security guard scarcely left the CCTV room after hours. Upon hearing the thick German accent of the janitor call out 'Guten Tag, Choa' she smiled to herself. In spite of her scarcely conscious state she was still intelligent and forward thinking enough to make a correct logical guess. Maybe she wasn't so useless after all.

Outside her office the janitor placed down his mop, he turned the handle and entered the room. Choa stopped typing and spun in her chair to face him, visibly exhausted. The janitor sighed saying, 'I'd try and get you to go home and get some sleep but that would be pointless. It's almost as if I'm convinced you live here now.' Choa chuckled. The janitor continued, 'You've been up for 48 hours and you do this constantly to yourself, Its not good for your health and I'm worried about you, promise me you'll go to sleep.'

Choa replied, 'Just one more report okay, just one more.' 

The janitor frowned, 'Are you sure?, Why do you do this to yourself?'.

Choa gestured towards her collection of photos, 'Them' she whispered.

The janitor spoke from the bottom of his heart, 'It isn't your fault you know, I hope you will understand that one day.'

'It is,' Choa responded, 'I could have saved every one of them.' Then she turned away saying, 'Leave me to work', gesturing with her arm towards the door.

The janitor left defeated, returning to his cart. He reached down for his mop, when he had an idea. Searching through the cart he pulled out some pills. Then he rushed off to the coffee machine a few doors down. He grabbed a cup and began to make a cup of coffee. On the side he used a spoon to ground the pills into powder and mixed them into the coffee. Within minutes he was back outside Choa's door.

Choa turned frustrated, 'I thought I told you to leave me be.'

'Bear with me,' the janitor replied, 'At least take this coffee to help you stay awake.'

Choa looked down into the empty mug on her desk and said, 'Alright.'

Within a few minutes of drinking the coffee, Choa was in a deep sleep. The janitor returned with a smile on his face and a pillow and some blankets under his arm. He whispered, 'Sorry about the tranquilizer, hope your are not too mad with me come the morning.' Following this he saved Choa's computed work and shut it down. Then he lifted up her head and placed a pillow under it and chucked some blankets over her. He left the room with a smirk, 'should be out for at least a few hours, that's what you need.' Locking the door, he walked over to his cart and picked up his mop. Finally the janitor finished the nights cleaning, whistling on his way as he did so.

Choa dreamt of clouds and the sky. She felt light and giddy. She saw a pair of golden gates and beyond an exquisitely beautiful garden, filled with dancing fairies and colorful birds and animals. She opened the gates and stood admiring the scenery. From the distance, a purple and yellow parrot flew down and landed on her arm. Choa looked at it and smiled. The parrot stared back and opened its mouth making a loud beep. Choa stared back confused. All of a sudden all the birds were staring at her making a loud continuous beeping noise. Choa's eyes snapped open, she jumped up in surprise. The beeping sound had been coming from her alarm, she switched it off noting rapidly that she was three hours late for her shift. 'That damn janitor', she thought, 'Learn to keep his nose out of my business.' Grabbing her lab coat and flinging it over her back, she headed down the hospital corridors at a fast pace, walking towards the SAMU ward for accidents and emergencies. To Choa's great surprise there was no one there save for the lone receptionist, who had her feet up and was engrossed in a romance novel. The receptionist peered over the top of her book and seeing Choa said, 'No, patients today. They've all been redirected to the hospital a few kilometers up north. Don't worry, transport has been supplied for them'

'What?, why?...' Choa started but upon looking around she realized that the hospital had been awfully quiet today, a clear change from the usual hustle and bustle of the wards. The loudspeaker system abruptly switched on, a mans voice was clearly heard saying, 'Could all medical personal and others please evacuate the building, there is an emergency. All evacuate now. I repeat, evacuate now. Within five minutes measures will be taken.' The system switched off. Choa wondered what was going on, what did that man mean by 'measures will be taken.' 

The receptionist, closed her book and stood up, 'that's my cue' she said loudly to no one in particular. She placed her book and hurried off in the direction of an exit. Choa began to follow her. She stopped swiftly, tensing up, she could feel something pulling on the back of her lab coat. She spun slowly with one hand enclosed in a fist shape. Standing there tugging on her lab coat was a little girl, holding a brown decaying teddy bear. She had tears running down her cheeks and was biting her bottom lip. Choa bent down, 'What is the matter, little girl?' she asked.

The girl trembled, 'Mum, mum, I can't find my mummy.' She broke down into loud sobs, 'The man shouted at me and I, I_', the crying removing the little girls ability to formulate sentences.

Choa smiled, 'Look at me', she said, 'No need to be afraid, come I'll help you find you mother.'

From around the corner an armed soldier arrived, he had copious amounts of body armor and held an M16A4 assault rifle. When he saw Choa and the child he approached, waving with one hand and shouting, 'Ma'am, I am going to have to ask you to evacuate the building now.'

Choa replied, 'Alright, alright, calm down, give me a minute'. She twisted her head back to face the girl.

'No', the guard screamed, swing his weapon off his shoulder till it faced Choa, 'I said leave now.'

Choa picked up the crying girl, embracing her head into her own shoulder. She walked off, muttering under her breath 'What a D*ck.' The guard took his sites off the two of them, and left in the opposite direction, he clearly heard Choa's comments but did not act on them.

Choa walked quickly towards the emergency exit, her shirt taking the bulk of the infants tears. Placing one hand on the emergency door bar, she looked back to see no one. Unexpectedly from her right side someone grabbed Choa's arm pulling her into a supply closet. Choa was about to shout out for help when she saw it was the janitor. Immediately she slapped him, and pointed whispering angrily 'You....'.

'Not now', the janitor responded, shaking off the hit, 'There are more pressing matters to attend to, something weird is going on.'

'Oh', Choa replied sarcastically, 'I hadn't noticed.'

'Unnecessary' said the janitor but onwards, 'the hospitals is filled with armed men but they aren't from the military, it seems to be a privately run operation. What's more they seem to be patrolling the halls waiting for someone to arrive, they are protecting one of the rooms more heavily than others.'

'Which one?', Choa inquired, 'That could help us figure out what they want.'

'The morgue' answered the janitor.

'I don't understand, what would they want with a dead body', Choa said.

'Never mind that, I am heading their to find out, care to join me' the janitor asked.

'No one takes my hospital without my permission, so yes' Choa replied with confidence. Choa had an innate sense of loyalty for things, especially the hospital she had worked at for several years and no one was going to affect it in any significant way without her say-so.

'Wait, what about the child?' Choa quickly said.

'We'll have to take her with us' the janitor communicated.

Choa bent down on one knee, 'You okay with that, I'll promise you will find your mother soon. Don't cry though, we can't be found', she said holding the Childs face.

The little girl clutched her teddy tighter, 'I'll, I'll be quiet, don't worry.' Choa picked up the girl and together with the janitor they snuck towards the morgue. Whenever they accounted the armed guards they would head in the opposite direction, until finally they were hidden from site staring at the doors to the hospital morgue. The way inside was blocked by an armed guard, who stood utterly still surveying the oncoming hallways.

'What now?' Choa signaled silently, 'How do we get passed?'

'I've an idea but its risky so you stay put' the janitor signaled back.

Before Choa could respond the janitor had left his cover and forward rolled towards the lone guard. Taking the guard by surprise, the janitor wrapped one arm around his neck and swung himself around the guard. He then applied the sleeper hold and within seconds the guard was on the floor unconscious. The janitor slung the guards M16A4 over his shoulder and began to pat him down for supplies. Another soldier noticed him and pointed raising his weapon but before he could speak out he was his in the back of the head by a fire extinguisher. The guards head hit the front of his helmet and he fell to the floor. Above him stood Choa brandishing a fire extinguisher, hiding behind her left leg was the little girl. She smiled grimly at the janitor looking at the men on the floor.

'Quickly now', the janitor murmured, 'there isn't any time. We can't hide the bodies and they will be discovered soon.'

The janitor took the last of the belongings off each soldier as Choa unlocked the morgue with the janitors set of master keys. From within the room they took a file cabinet, a stretcher and some chairs and barricaded their side of the door. In the middle of the room on the autopsy table lay a single body. 'Scheiße. So this is what they were after a dead body, f*ck me.' The three of them approached the victim, noting several details. It was badly cut and bruised all over and there was a nasty shoulder gash, seemingly from some kind of medieval weaponry. On its back were the remnants of what seemed to be wings, feather-like structures hastily ripped off. Choa took out her phone and photographed the body. Then she placed one hand on its neck looking for the cause of demise. The janitor stood further back and exclaimed, 'So what do you think is the cause of death?'.

Choa replied surprised, 'Nothing, I mean whatever it is is not dead.' She could still feel a pulse on the neck, she moved her hands down placing one on its heart. Its eyes shot open and it seized Choa shoulders, 'Get out of here, there coming back, leave now.' It spat out these words in short and sudden breaths but then it abruptly stopped. 'You can't be, thank the heavens its true. You are one of the seven, we're saved' it cried out. Choa was about to ask it what it meant when footsteps emanated clearly from outside the room. The noise had attracted attention and the guards had been discovered. The doors began to move back and forth as intruders broke them open. They had to leave, now. The little girl started sobbing, the noises had startled her. Choa placed her hand over the girls mouth and used the other to point at an open window, in the adjacent room. They opened and closed the connecting doors and faced their exit. First Choa gave the janitor a leg up and he pulled himself out, then she passed up the girl, who let out a large cry, and finally the janitor helped her pull herself up.

The doors snapped open and the cabinet and chairs flung across the room. Two men entered flanked by two soldiers, behind them the men that she had helped incapacitate were being dragged by more guards. The smaller of the two was furious, he demanded to know what was happening. When the men couldn't offer him a explanation he simply reached into his pocket and shot them both point blank in the head. The blood trickled down onto his shoes and their bodies fell onto him. He kicked them off and placed his foot on their heads, crushing them beneath his foot. The brains were strewn across the floor. The small man gestured to a guard who came over bent down and cleaned the mixture of brain and blood from his shoes. The larger of the two turned his attention on the body. It looked into its eyes and drooled. The man on the autopsy table broke out into laughter and song, 'It matters not, we are saved, the seven are real, the seven_'. His song and dance was cut off by the larger of the two men ripping open his chest. The man watched in horror as his own rip cage was removed and chucked aside, finally succumbing to blood loss and trauma. The larger of those in charge tore the heart out of the body and bit, chewing on chunks of it. Choa looked away in disgust, she felt sick. She took her phone down from the window ledge; she had recorded those who event.

The janitor lead Choa and the girl away from the hospital and to his van. He chucked much of the cleaning equipment out of the back of the vehicle and placed the girl inside. He secured her as much as possible, covering her in blankets and assorted hospital bedding, then he strapped her down so she would move too much. Choa and the janitor got into the front two seats and they reversed out of the hospital car park, both visibly shaken by the events. The janitor drove carefully out onto the main roads and then stepped on the gas, neither of them looked back. From the back of the van they heard a cheerful voice, 'Am I gonna meet my mum soon?'. Choa turned to the janitor and they shared a look of morose inevitability.


	8. Seolhyun

Seolhyun awoke to a constant drip of water falling onto her face. Her eyes opened and above her she could see a leaky pipe, a jagged cut through the pipes edge caused some of the water stream to be deposited onto her. Seolhyun shifted her head, holding it in her left hand. She could hear a loud ringing and her head ached, on the back of it Seolhyun could feel the remnants of dried blood. She attempted to get up, placing her left leg on the floor but as she pulled herself up off the bed she could feel something yanking her back. Attached to her right arm was a large metal chain locking her to the wall. Taking in her surroundings fully now, Seolhyun noticed that she was contained in a cell like structure. There was no window and the room was illuminated by a single dingy bulb, held high above the bed, too high to reach. Under the propped up mattress, on which she sat, was a bucket. It was black with a white handle. Seolhyun reached down to pick it up but recoiled immediately. The stench sending her back to wall. She kicked it with her foot and as it spun round she saw that it had been hastily labeled with the word, 'Toilet'. She stuck her nose up in disgust and gagged, clearly within the bucked was the residue of someone else's faecal matter. Silently, Seolhyun began to shed some tears, burying her face into the mattress. At the end of the cell was a door, titanium with a window that slid open. The window was open currently and through it Seolhyun could see the shadow of a guard. From the moment she saw him Seolhyun started to make lots of noise, she kicked the bucket towards the door and banged on the walls, hoping to gain his attention but alas he did not flinch or move, even once. After several minutes of shouting Seolhyun gave up, choosing to retreat into herself in the corner where the mattress met the wall. She wrapped both her arms around her legs and sobbed at her misfortune.

Seolhyun's eyes stung after hours of weeping but daren't rest her eyes out of fear that something horrible could happen to her. She sat defeated, legs flat, lying against the wall. She was physically keeping herself awake, staring at the flickering light bulb above her intensely. Despite a splitting headache and a bloodshot and pale face she refused to let herself succumb to rest. After a few more minutes, Seolhyun noticed that some of the light from the bulb was being blocked, a moth was attacking the light bouncing off the glass surface. Immediately she began to look around, 'how could the moth have gotten in here?' she thought searching hard for an answer. Her eyes were eventually drawn to the door and a panel she had not noticed before. Through which a metal tray had been pushed, holding a saucer of water and some bread. Seolhyun scampered to the food, lapping up the water without a second thought and shoving the bread into her face. The taste of food felt so good after being starved for days. However as she reached down for the last piece of bread, a hand appeared through the gap at the doors bottom and slapped her hand away. Then the tray was dragged out and the panel slammed shut from the outside. 'No', Seolhyun cried out, 'No, come back, please. I need more.' She kicked the door with her outstretched food, begging and pleading incessantly for answers and for nourishment. She continued until she could shout no more, her throat had become sore and dry. On the other side of the door, Seolhyun could hear voices, a quite, 'That's the one.' Her mind began racing and she became fixated on the door, 'what was happening outside?'. She heard a key turn and she stood frozen, unable to move, afraid of who or what might enter her cell.

Seolhyun calmed down after a few minutes, nothing had entered or left her chamber. She felt a wave of relief rush over her body and she proceeded to bend down on the floor and attempt to look for a hole to the area outside, through the door. Within seconds the door swung open with a loud slam. Towering above her was a huge man, wearing a bloody apron with a sickening grin on his face. His head was visibly scarred and he had little hair, save for the large ginger beard on his chin. In his apron pocket Seolhyun could see what appeared to be dentistry equipment and she gulped, a nauseous feeling entering her stomach. The man grinned wider now, showing his limited number of teeth. He had gold and silver fillings and tooth caps all along his gums. He knelt down on one knee and grabbed Seolhyun's chin lifting it up, then he whispered eerily into her ear, spitting along the side of her face as he did so, saying 'Night, Night, Baby Girl'. Following this he lifted Seolhyun into the air with the one hand he had on her chin. He slammed his other fist into her face and laughed as her body fell limp to the floor. He lifted her back up and placed her in a wooden cart before kicking her cell door shut behind him. Within the cell, the light bulb swung back and forth, the intervals between flickers faster now. The moth danced with the light patterns trying to remain in the light. But the moths attempts were futile for the bulb fell, smashing on the ground and crushing the moth with it. Leaving the room in absolute darkness.


End file.
